Advocate staff photo by PATRICK DENNIS -- LSU freshman LHP Jake Latz (67) is expected to be in the mix to be a starter in LSU's weekend rotation this season.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – LSU’s wait for left-handed pitcher Jake Latz to make his debut will continue at least until next season.

Tigers coach Paul Mainieri says the freshman pitcher, who’s been sidelined since preseason by an injury in his throwing elbow, won’t recover in time to pitch this season.

Mainieri says “most everything is positive” regarding Latz’s recovery, but that it has taken longer than expected.

Mainieri had expressed hope Latz could pitch next week against the University of New Orleans, but now the coach tells The Advocate (http://bit.ly/1KKubBl ) that the pitcher may not be ready to throw until summer.

The decision means the Tigers won’t have as much pitching depth as they’d hoped this postseason.

Still, they’ve managed well so far, attaining the No. 1 ranking in two prominent national polls.